Hartsville, South Carolina, USA, 30 June 2008 -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Sonoco (NYSE:SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, and IPICO Inc. (TSX-V: RFD) today announced the availability of the world's first radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled core solution specifically designed for the paper industry.

Using IPICO's dual frequency technology, the new fiber cores allow customers to automatically identify, track, and locate paper rolls at any point in the supply chain.

IPICO and Sonoco have developed a unique process by which RFID technology is embedded in fiber-based cores. Sonoco is using this process to produce its new Intellicore engineered carriers, which are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of paper manufactures. The technology can be read through any size of paper roll, which allows for easy management throughout the product's life cycle.

Sonoco is the world's largest manufacturer of fiber-based tubes and cores, many of which are used by companies around the world to package various grades and types of paper.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a USD 4.0 billion global manufacturer of consumer and industrial products and provider of packaging services, with 334 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit http://www.sonoco.com.

About IPICO

IPICO Inc. is a Burlington, Ontario, Canada-based RFID solution supplier with operations in Canada, the United States, Europe, South Africa, Asia, and Australia. IPICO produces smart labels, tags, and readers based on the IP-X communication protocol. Its products are designed to conform to regulatory requirements in most major geographical regions, to excel at long read range, fast multiread anticollision and high thru-beam read-speeds of dynamic tag populations, and to allow for multireader rollout in close proximity. IPICO's products are used to optimize the management of products, equipment, people, animals, and processes within the logistics and other value chains. For further information, go to www.ipico.com.